It’s a given, in the world of marketing, that people like to try new products— a tendency apparently fueled by the Internet.
Lots of young men can be found, for example, consuming super spicy new foods. Matt Stonie was attempting to set a world record.
“Fifteen individual blocks of chicken-flavored spicy ramen noodles. Let’s cook these up!”
He planned to scarf down all 15 packs of Korean fire noodles in one sitting. Pausing only to gag, belch and drink three glasses of water, he consumed a huge platter in less than ten minutes.
“Alright guys. There we go. Ahhh.”
At the University of Virginia, Professor of Marketing Christine Kim says there are lots of people eating hot stuff online – fueling demand for spicy foods in a country that once favored meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots.
“Globalization is bringing in all sorts of different flavors that Americans weren’t really used to before," she says. "It was just barbeque sauce, ranch sauce – things that we’ve had for many, many years, but here are the new flavors coming.”
Kim was born in Korea and grew up in Los Angeles, so she keeps a close watch on how Korean flavors have caught on here. As a child she refused to take Kimbap -- seaweed and rice rolls -- to school for lunch.
“My mom would make that, but I would not want to take it, and, instead, would take Lunchables.”
Today, you’ll find Kimbap at American grocery stores – prompting this online review.
“Trader Joe’s comes in at $3.99. The Costco one came out to $18.79 for six rolls, so that’s about $3.13 per roll.”
There are so many people consuming so many new foods online that Korea has come up with a word for it.
“It’s Meokbang. Moek means moekchaw, which means eating. Bang means like broadcasting, and so it’s the broadcasting of eating.”
And there’s another factor driving a growing desire for exotic new eats that burn.
“Spicy food is an interesting thing, because once you eat it weirdly you want to try it again.”
That might be a response to the chemistry of pain control – the body’s release of dopamine to ease discomfort and a kind of addiction that follows.
“Spiciness is a pain in your tongue, then dopamine will be released to fight the pain, and it makes you feel good," Kim explains. "There have been studies showing that in stressful times people eat more spicy food.”
With all the buzz about these new foods, she says, mainstream American firms like Kraft, ConAgra, PepsiCo and Tysons have taken note.
“All these firms are monitoring what’s being talked about on social media. They’re listening and learning from it, and hence the new product development comes.”
Like Kraft Mac and Cheese -- with jalapenos. Google Trends noted a 200% increase in searches for hot honey, and McCormick, the top maker of seasonings, named ají amarillo its 2025 “Flavor of the Year,” combining the taste of a South American chili with notes of mango. Food scientists say a little heat with sweetness hits multiple pleasure points in the brain – a taste the industry calls swicy.
